In addition to their personal chambers staff of law clerks and secretaries, judges rely on central court support staff to assist in the work of the court. These staff include: Clerk The chief administrative officer of the court, who keeps court records, handles court monies, and supervises court operations. Circuit Executive Performs a broad range of administrative tasks under the direction of the regional circuit judicial council Court Reporter Makes a word-for-word record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript. Court Librarian Maintains court libraries and assists in meeting the information needs of the judges and lawyers. Staff Attorneys and Pro Se Law Clerks Assist the court with research and drafting of opinions. Pretrial Services Officers and Probation Officers Interview defendants before trial, investigate their backgrounds, file reports to assist judges in deciding on pretrial release and sentencing of convicted defendants, and supervise released defendants.

The day-to-day responsibility for judicial administration rests with each individual court. Each court is given the responsibility by statute and administrative practice to appoint support staff, supervise spending, and manage the court's records. The chief judge of each court plays a key leadership role in overseeing and coordinating the efficient operations of the court. Although the chief judge is generally responsible for overseeing day-to-day court administration, important policy decisions are made by the judges of the court working together. The primary administrative officer of each court is the clerk of court. The clerk manages the court's non-judicial functions in accordance with policies set by the court, and reports directly to the court through its chief judge. Among the clerk's many functions are: Maintaining the records and dockets of the court Paying all fees, fines, costs and other monies collected into the U.S. Treasury Administering the court's jury system Providing interpreters and court reporters Sending official court notices and summons Providing courtroom support services At the regional level, a "circuit judicial council" in each circuit oversees the administration of the courts located in its geographic circuit. Each circuit judicial council consists of the chief circuit judge, who serves as the chair, and an equal number of other circuit and district judges. The judicial council oversees numerous aspects of court of appeals and district court operations. It is authorized by statute to issue orders to promote accountability and the "effective and expeditious administration of justice within its circuit." Aside from its fundamental responsibility to ensure that individual courts are operating effectively, the judicial council is responsible for reviewing local court rules for consistency with national rules of procedure, approving district court plans on topics such as equal employment opportunity and jury selection, and reviewing complaints of judicial misconduct. Each judicial council appoints a "circuit executive," who works closely with the chief circuit judge to coordinate a wide range of administrative matters in the circuit. The Judicial Conference of the United States is the federal courts' national policy-making body. The Chief Justice of the United States presides over the Judicial Conference, which consists of 26 other members including the chief judge of each court of appeals, one district court judge from each regional circuit, and the chief judge of the Court of International Trade. The Judicial Conference works through committees established along subject matter lines to recommend national policies and legislation on all aspects of federal judicial administration. Committees include budget, rules of practice and procedure, court administration and case management, criminal law, bankruptcy, judicial resources (judgeships and personnel matters), information technology, and codes of conduct. The Administrative Office provides a broad range of legislative, legal, financial, technology, management, administrative, and program support services to the federal courts. The Administrative Office, an agency within the judicial branch, is responsible for carrying out the policies of the Judicial Conference of the United States. A primary responsibility of the Administrative Office is to provide staff support and counsel to the Judicial Conference and its committees. The numerous responsibilities of the Administrative Office also include: collecting and reporting judicial branch statistics, developing budgets, conducting studies and assessments of judiciary operations and programs, providing technical assistance to the courts, developing training programs, and fostering communications within the judiciary and with other branches of government and the public. The Director of the Administrative Office, who is appointed by the Chief Justice in consultation with the Judicial Conference, serves as the chief administrative officer of the federal courts. Congress has vested many of the judiciary's administrative responsibilities in the Director. Recognizing, however, that the courts can make better business decisions based on local needs, the Director in the last few years has delegated the responsibility for many administrative matters to the individual courts. This concept, known as "decentralization," allows each court to operate with considerable autonomy and sound management principles in accordance with policies and guidelines set at the regional and national level. The Federal Judicial Center provides training and research for the federal judiciary in a wide range of areas including court administration, case management, budget and finance, human resources, and court technology. It develops orientation and continuing education programs for judges and other court personnel, including seminars, curriculum materials for use by individual courts, monographs and manuals, and audio, video, and interactive media programs. The Center conducts studies of judiciary operations, and makes recommendations to the Judicial Conference for improvement of the administration and management of the federal courts. The Center's operations are overseen by a board of directors consisting of the Chief Justice, the Director of the Administrative Office, and seven judges chosen by the Judicial Conference. The Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation has the authority to transfer cases that are pending in different districts but involve common questions of fact (for example, mass tort actions arising from airplane crashes, breast implants, or asbestos) to a single district for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings. The Panel consists of seven court of appeals and district court judges designated by the Chief Justice. The U.S. Sentencing Commission establishes sentencing guidelines for the federal criminal justice system. The Commission also monitors the performance of probation officers with regard to sentencing recommendations, and has established a research program that includes a clearinghouse and information center on federal sentencing practices. The Sentencing Commission consists of a chairman, three vice chairs, and three other voting commissioners who are appointed for six-year terms by the President. In recognition of the constitutional separation of powers among the three branches of the federal government, Congress has given the judiciary authority to prepare and execute its own budget. The Administrative Office, in consultation with the courts and with various Judicial Conference committees, prepares a proposed budget for the judiciary for each fiscal year. The proposal is reviewed and approved by the Judicial Conference and is submitted to the Congress with detailed justifications. By law, the President must include in his budget to Congress the judiciary's budget proposal without change. The appropriation committees of the Congress conduct hearings at which judges and the Director of the Administrative Office frequently present and justify the judiciary's projected expenditures. After Congress enacts a budget for the judiciary, the Judicial Conference approves a plan to spend the money, and the Administrative Office distributes funds directly to each court, operating unit, and program in the judiciary. Individual courts have considerable authority and flexibility to conduct their work, establish budget priorities, make sound business decisions, hire staff, and make purchases, consistent with Judicial Conference policies.